Intro

The Boch are a people group native to the Manjeau region. They are considered a distinct ethnic group beginning around -4,000. They historically spoke the Boch Language as it evolved from its early form to the modern form which has been influenced by Pearl. Boch traditionally practiced little structured religion, but maintained a culturally relevant spirituality. As such they are little defined by their religion. They are more uniquely defined by their shared geography, language, art forms, staple foods, and unique cultural norms which historically often put them at odds with the other cultures of Derlosetde, particularly those influenced by Enateism. Boch make up a small percentage of the world population by most estimates. As a nation, the Boch remained as independent until the establishment of the Commonwealth of Derlosetde. Upon this, the tribes became politically split, which lead to further homogenization among some tribes, while others culturally shifted towards the cultures of surrounding regions. Eventually they would be reunited politically under the banner of Loch Montar, however their culture had been drastically changed in some parts, and ethnic barriers had become much less distinct as intermarriage with surrounding ethnic groups occurred.

History

Origins

Around 4000 BCE humanity was still wandering due to The Event 50,000 years prior. A certain people group made its way into the northwest of central Derlosetde, eventually taking residence from the southern reaches of the Forested Lands of Juenzrom, to the northern banks of Lakes of Manjeau. Over the next few centuries, the people group (the Boch), moved slightly southward, eventually reaching their current positions around and in the middle of the Lakes of Manjeau.

Due to their relatively early development, and extreme isolation from the cultures developing on the Pearl Coast, the Boch established a unique culture that would come to cause misunderstanding and conflict with the other civilizations that would eventually inhabit the region.

Tribes

The Boch spread out around the Manjeau region and quickly recondensed into six “tribes”- Gesuge, Dhairias, Dhenin,Buath, Coiß, and Stagh. These tribes had extremely close relations, and while occasional conflicts, they were treated more like disputes between family members, rather than wars.There was never any grudges held between the tribes, and in fact, there is only one remembered incident in which a tribe (Dhenin) acted out of revenge. The event supposedly cause much mutual destruction, and the story is still passed down and told to young Bochers as a warning about conflict for revenge. This particular cultural phenomenon failed to extend to other, later nations when conflicts arose, as the Boch inherently treated outsiders as different.

The general layout of the Boch is families within clans within tribes (villages), all comprising the entity known as the Boch. Each of these stages is treated like a family within a family. A man of the family of Hagh of the clan of Shanhaghlophglassich, of the tribe of Dhenin, might as well be the brother of a member of the family of Fil, of the clan of Filnichadidheider, of the tribe of Gesuge. Almost paradoxical to the familiarity of the Boch is their government. Each clan is governed by a single leader and his advisors [may be exceptions.] The leader is referred to as the name of the tribe. A single tribe leader can not speak for the Boch as a whole, and this created misunderstandings with other cultures. One notable incident is that of the massacre of Jean Telach’s scouting party. Throughout history, the Boch are often misrecognized as a single body, rather than a group of closely related, individual, independent groups.

Social Norms

Another difference of culture which created friction with other societies was the ways that relationships worked within the tribes. Children were raised by the tribe as whole, rather than by specific parents. This model was spurred by the Boch’s treatment of romantic emotions- that they were fleeting, inconsequential feelings. This led to the development of the Boch as a primarily polyamorous society. They had no concept of marriage or fidelity, and put no emphasis on a nuclear family; or perhaps it would be better to say that they had no concept of a nuclear family at all. In addition, while they would easily recognize who was in what family and what clan and what tribe, they took little notice of personal relations such as sister, brother, cousin, etc. They did, however, make a distinction between generations. In addition to this, relative to other societies, they had little sense of modesty with their clothing. This was most likely due to the sense of familiarity that pervaded the tribes. This is relevant as it became an additional factor in creating the image of the Boch that other societies held- that of a barbarian.

External Relations

To the other inhabitants of Derlosetde, whose philosophy was largely influenced by the teachings of Enateism, the Boch were a barbaric people. Stories of their immodesty, infidelity, and warlike behavior spread throughout the Albrechtonian and Altancian regions (Vallecianeaux was initially slightly more understanding due to proximity, but nevertheless succumbed to the popular view of the Boch in light of a series of later conflicts). The people of these nations often viewed the Boch with disgust and occasionally pity. Often stories of Boch violence, which were in reality caused by simple misunderstanding, were sensationalized and exaggerated, creating a problems that lasted many centuries.